Meditations in ExodusThis meditation is a companion to two previous meditations: And the People Multiplied – Exodus 1Our Lord’s Faithfulness Versus The World’s Hatred – Exodus 1In Exodus the Lord our God began the process of fulfilling his promises unto His chosen people, the children of Israel. Even so, three times Exodus 1 indicates that the children of Israel multiplied in number and might. Thus the book of Exodus begins with a demonstration of our Lord God’s faithfulness unto His own. Yet as the Lord our God moves in faithfulness to bless His people, the world often moves in hatred to afflict God’s people. This present evil world sets itself against the Lord, against His authority, and against His will. Therefore, this present evil world also sets itself against the Lord’s people with hatred and persecution (John 15:18-25). Yet in the midst of hateful persecution, some will be found who fear God more than they fear the world or the king (the governmental authority). Such was the case of the Hebrew midwives, as recorded in Exodus 1:15-21.

The Commandment of the KingExodus 1:15-16 declares, “And the king of Egypt spake to the Hebrew midwives, of which the name of the one was Shiphrah, and the name of the other Puah: and he said, When ye do the office of a midwife to the Hebrew women, and see them upon the stools; if it be a son, then ye shall kill him: but if it be a daughter, then she shall live.” The commandment of the king (of the governmental authority) was for these Hebrew midwives to commit murder. In particular, the command was to murder the helpless, newborn baby boys of the Hebrews at the moment of birth. Yet this was not just a command with the force of governmental authority. It was a command with the force of a death threat. There could have been no doubt in the minds of the Hebrew midwives that the king of Egypt was willing to kill any who earned his displeasure. What then would they do? Would they obey or disobey the king?The Choice of the MidwivesExodus 1:17 reveals the choice of the Hebrew midwives, saying, “But the midwives feared God, and did not as the king of Egypt commanded them, but saved the men children alive.” The midwives chose to disobey the king and to save the baby boys alive. Yet they did not make this choice arbitrarily. Nor did they make this choice simply because they were rebels by character. Rather, they made this choice because they regarded, respected, and reverenced a higher Authority than that of the king (than that of governmental authority). They “feared God” above all else. Certainly the command of the king was contrary to will of the Lord; and they had committed themselves to the principle – “We ought to obey God rather than men” (Acts 5:29). Yet what about the possible threat upon their own lives for earning the king’s displeasure? Again the answer is given – They “feared God” above all else, even above their own lives. Thus they committed themselves to the principle – “And fear not them which kill the body, but are not able to kill the soul: but rather fear him which is able to destroy both soul and body in hell” (Matthew 10:28). The Challenge of the KingExodus 1:18 then gives the report, “And the king of Egypt called for the midwives, and said unto them, Why have ye done this thing, and have saved the men children alive?” Indeed, the king is very displeased with the disobedience of the midwives. He wanted the children of Israel weakened. He wanted those baby boys killed. He had given the midwives an authoritative command to kill them, but they had not obeyed him. He was certainly displeased, very, very displeased. The Courage of the MidwivesYet the Hebrew midwives did not quake in fear of the king. Rather, they stood with courage before him. Even so, Exodus 1:19 states, “And the midwives said unto Pharaoh, Because the Hebrew women are not as the Egyptian women; for they are lively, and are delivered ere the midwives come in unto them.” The midwives “feared God” and had no intention of obeying the king’s command to kill those baby boys. Yet there was another hand in the matter. The Lord God supported the righteous intention of the midwives not to kill those baby boys, and He aided the midwives in their intention. The Lord God caused the Hebrew women to give birth at a faster speed than the average. Thus the Lord’s arrangement of the circumstances aided the midwives in their choice to disobey the king in not killing those baby boys. Recognizing this, the Hebrew midwives did not quake in fear at the challenge of the king. Rather, they could give answer with boldness, knowing that God’s hand was involved.The Commendation of the LordWhat then happened to those Hebrew midwives? Exodus 1:20-21 gives answer, saying, “Therefore God dealt well with the midwives: and the people multiplied, and waxed very mighty. And it came to pass, because the midwives feared God, that he made them houses.” God dealt well with them and blessed them. They “feared God” rather then the king. They obeyed God rather than men. They trusted God in the face of threat by man. In turn, God favored them and honored them.